> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://mariadb.com/docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/sql-statements/geometry-constructors/geometry-relations/st_distance_sphere.md).

# ST\_DISTANCE\_SPHERE

## Syntax

```bnf
ST_DISTANCE_SPHERE(g1,g2,[r])
```

## Description

Returns the spherical distance in meters between two geometries (point or multipoint) on a sphere. The optional radius *r* is in meters, must be positive, and defaults to the Earth's radius (6370986 meters) if not specified. If either of the two geometries are not valid, `NULL` is returned.

## Example

```sql
SET @zenica   = ST_GeomFromText('POINT(17.907743 44.203438)');
SET @sarajevo = ST_GeomFromText('POINT(18.413076 43.856258)');
SELECT ST_Distance_Sphere(@zenica, @sarajevo);
+----------------------------------------+
| ST_Distance_Sphere(@zenica, @sarajevo) |
+----------------------------------------+
|                      55878.59337591705 |
+----------------------------------------+

SELECT ST_Distance_Sphere(@zenica, @sarajevo, 6370986);
+-------------------------------------------------+
| ST_Distance_Sphere(@zenica, @sarajevo, 6370986) |
+-------------------------------------------------+
|                               55878.59337591705 |
+-------------------------------------------------+

SELECT ST_Distance_Sphere(@zenica, @sarajevo, 200);    
+---------------------------------------------+
| ST_Distance_Sphere(@zenica, @sarajevo, 200) |
+---------------------------------------------+
|                           1.754158410516584 |
+---------------------------------------------+
```

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